Video: Editing B-roll with connected clips

Now let's export how Final Cut Pro X handles B-roll with something called connected clips. Now we've use connected clips a few times in earlier movies, but let's really dig in a little deeper so you can really wrap your head around it. Go ahead and step into the Connected Clips project. Now as you see we don't have any B-roll or cutaway footage above Pablo's interview. Let's go ahead and focus in on his interview. I am going to go Command+Plus to zoom in and I'm going to scroll up just to make sure that I have a little space above here on the top.

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Migrating from Final Cut Pro 7 to Final Cut Pro X gives video editors a comprehensive tour of the new tools and the interface makeover for Apple's premier video editing software. It showcases the differences from Final Cut Pro 7 and paves the way for a painless upgrade experience. Author Abba Shapiro covers the new interface and workflows in Final Cut X, the magnetic timeline, connected clips, and the deep integration of color correction and sound editing.

This course helps experienced Final Cut Pro editors understand new ways of performing traditional editing techniques. New terminology and new tools for performing editing functions are also clarified.

Editing B-roll with connected clips

Now let's export how Final Cut Pro X handles B-roll with somethingcalled connected clips.Now we've use connected clips a few times in earlier movies, but let's reallydig in a little deeper so you can really wrap your head around it.Go ahead and step into the Connected Clips project.Now as you see we don't have any B-roll or cutaway footage above Pablo's interview.Let's go ahead and focus in on his interview.I am going to go Command+Plus to zoom in and I'm going to scroll up just to makesure that I have a little space above here on the top.

Now I want to make sure that we have sometime to put a lower third in, so Iprobably want to bring my first B-roll cutaway in at this point.Now I want to find all the shots with Pablo in them.Well, thanks to the fact that we were able to keyword Pablo into many of the shots,I simply select the entire Event Library and I'll type Pablo into the search field.Immediately, I have all the shots that I put the metadata in that we see Pablo dancing.So the first thing is let's start with a nice establishing shot of himsitting on the floor.

So I can click and scrub through and pick a nice range that I want and I guessabout three seconds works.Now that I'm happy with the range, I can bring this connected clip on in one of two ways.I'm going to bring it on with the keyboard shortcut of Q.If you notice, the connected clip is now attached to the main storyboard.I can go ahead and bring in another cutaway a little bit later.Let's go ahead and grab a shot of Pablo dancing.Once I have this range, I'm going to bring this one into our Timeline with adrag and connect it to a later part of the clip.

Now I want you to see something very interesting. If I go ahead and I movePablo's clip either earlier or later in the Timeline, these video cutawaysstay with his interview.And this is the beauty of the connected Timeline.Once I attach video to an interview or B-roll to a narration, I can move thatnarration or video anywhere I want and the B-roll stays exactly where I want.And I can still edit this B-roll.Let's say for example I wanted to lengthen this clip of Pablo on the floor.

I can simply drag it to the right and if you notice if I drag it far enoughto the right, instead of having a clip collision, where I couldn't drag it any further, it lets me drag it as far as I want and it moves the other clip out of the way.Now if want the second clip to happen earlier, I just simply move that to theleft or move that to the right.I could even put it over the middle of the clip, so we cut away from Pablo onthe floor, to Pablo dancing, to Pablo back on the floor.If I move the Pablo clip on the floor back to the left leaving a space you'llsee that immediately the Pablo dance clip will pop down and be directlyadjacent to our storyline.

Let's go ahead and add one more clip for cutaways.I really like what Pablo's doing in this next clip, so I'm going to pick that as my third clip.And I will again bring it down to the Timeline and if I bring it close to thesecond clip, you see we'll actually snap into place.But I do want to point something out about connected clips.These clips are not connected to each other.They're connected to the main storyline.

So if I wanted to move them as a group, I have to do one of two things.I'd have to select them all and drag them at that point, because if I selectedjust one, it moves it out of the way.Sometimes it's a lot more convenient to link these clips together, and to dothat I'll select these clips and I'll right-click on them and I'll create astoryline just out of my B-roll.Now as soon as I do that, take a look at what happens to the top of the clip.There is a thin gray line that indicates these three clips work together in concert.

So now if I wanted to move all three clips, I can just simply grab the gray bar,position it exactly where I want the event to happen, and keep editing.Let's go ahead and watch the cutaways and Pablo's interview.(Pablo: And it's really not just a taking the class, having a teacher.)(Pablo: It's more of a taking the class, having a teacher, becoming friends, getting to know the person.)(Pablo: And really not just being friends but being?)And even though these clips are now in their own storyline, I can still extendthis clip because we don't quite see the end of Pablo's move.

And there we go.(Pablo: And really not just being friends but being (inaudible) but also being friends (inaudible)?)So don't be afraid that Final Cut Pro X doesn't have tracks, because connectedclips solve that problem.As a matter of fact, I can stack as many connected clips on top of each other asI need and they will stay in sync with the video that they're attached to.

There are currently no FAQs about Migrating from Final Cut Pro 7 to Final Cut Pro X.

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